My husband and I have had two separate hiking trips with Bev MacDowal from the Blue Ridge Hiking…read moreCompany and can never say enough about our incredible experiences. Bev not only guided our hikes, but taught us an amazing amount about the different plants, flowers, and yes gorgeous fungi (that we would have missed on our own). Bev's knowledge of the forest and her hiking expertise made each step a wonder. Even if you are a seasoned, experienced hiker, you have much to learn from Bev and the Blue Ridge Hiking Company.

Adam was an amazing guide! He was knowledgeable, personable and made the hike a…read morehighlight of our visit from Boston. I highly recommend this hiking company. We learned a lot about the environment- including lots of information about plants that I look forward to imparting to my friends back in Boston. Adam was just a joy - he shared his passion for the outdoors as well as his interest in theatre. I can't recommend this hiking group enough - if you want a memorable Asheville experience - there is no better way to learn about the environment and get in a good hike than with Adam and Blue Ridge Hiking Company. Incredible experience!

We took the brewery bus tour for a bachelor party and it was the best experience of our 5 day trip…read more Dave was our guide and we left every stop up to his decision. He didn't miss. Each brewery we went to was full of fun and different enough from the last that we were constantly entertained. Cannot recommend Dave enough, seriously. This tour is an amazing experience for any group looking to try some good beer and explore Asheville!

We took the morning Jeep Tour through the Blue Ridge mountains. The stops and the information was…read moregreat, and our guide had a great energy. The Jeep ride itself is kind of rough - we both left with small headaches.

This is a cool hike…read more Wasn't strenuous at all, for those that are less able it's doable. The trail cuts through a former mica mine and you can still see the remains of it. The rocks and gravel leading up to the view are speckled with small and large chunks of shiny mica. Really exciting for kids and kids at heart. The trail leads to a beautiful waterfall with water shimmering from the mica flakes. Surprised I've never seen this spot before, good place to take out of town guests or the less athletic family members.

This was a wonderfully short hike to an exceptionally tall waterfall. My husband plans most of our…read morehikes and often combines many (sometimes too many) hikes in the same day. But to his credit he will often only do one difficult hike and several easy hikes. On this day we hiked Elk River Falls (fairly easy), Upper Creek Falls (challenging for me), and Tom's Creek which was the easiest and most pleasant of the three. The trail didn't have a lot of tree roots and ended at a nice viewing platform, or if you like you can climb a small hill to reach the base of the falls. Very enjoyable, especially for families with little ones.

We had a great hike down to the falls with our dog. The sights were beautiful! I would recommend…read moregood footwear for this walk and be prepared for some steep inclines and declines, including down rocky walkways. Also, as we continued past the falls to finish the loop, there was a marker which we followed and basically had to crawl up the side of the mountain (which obviously wasn't the right way but it did have a path so we kept pushing forward). Thankfully it connected to the trail and we were back in business We enjoyed the beautiful, cool weather as we made our way through a mossy, lush forest. The water fountain at the start/end of path wasn't working which was a bummer but we had more water in the car. Pack accordingly.

We stayed at campground 19 with 2 cars and 2 tents. We had a great weekend but was not prepared for…read morehow close we would be to other camp grounds. We were probably 10 feet away from our neighbors RV. the camp hosts were very nice. If you want more space for tent camping I would recommend sites 1-8.

We went on a tour with Jennifer. It was well worth the time and money. Ashville Hiking Tours use…read morenaturalists as guides who each have unique backgrounds. It made the experience so much more interesting. She was so knowledgeable about the flora and fauna, history of the area, etc. We went to falls that most tourists aren't aware of. Enjoyed every minute!

This hike was absolutely amazing! MK was the best guide I have ever had for any tour and I've been…read moremany. She is so knowledgeable and super fun. I am very prone to car sickness, but was not a problem driving all over the mountains. It was very safe. I'm still in aw about how smart she is. She knows everything about the area; the flora and fauna, wildlife, the trails, history and folklore of the area -just everything! I was with my sister and niece and my 83 year old mother. MK picked the best trails for us. She was so patient with us and really just gave us the best experience. She set a pace that was comfortable for all of us. I was nervous going down some rock steps. She was super understanding, and held my hand to make sure I was safe We've been talking about this hike ever since. I cannot say enough about MK. The company is great super easy to book. I couldn't do it online so I called she got me fixed up right away. really cannot give enough praise for this experience.

Lovely little neighborhood park that is fenced in and that will keep the little ones from wandering…read moreoff. There is a super playground here with equipment for climbing and sliding. They also have set up some really nice picnic tables with barbecue grills. Some street parking is here and there is a lot of open space. Nice park! [Review 12674 overall, 2466 of 2019.]

This is the fun part that my family and I stopped into while we were visiting. We love going to…read moredifferent parks and playgrounds and they had a lot of fun on the colorful slides and different play areas in this park. It was a lot of fun and it's definitely a good part to check out

My 18 year old and I decided to try a guided climbing experience while in town. What an outstanding…read moreexperience we had with our guide, Pete! From our first phone call to book our climbing adventure to the minute we left the parking lot at the trailhead, Pisgah Climbing was professional, prompt, attentive, safe and super fun. Our guide was quick to figure out our skill and knowledge level in order to customize our climbing so that we felt adequately challenged but not in over our heads. One of us was more capable than the other and yet we still each were given a chance to try different pitches, and even repel! Having a guide that was informed about the local area, wildlife, (brought bug repellent for chiggers, which we didn't know about), and made it easy for us to meet up and get to the trailhead made all the difference. The equipment they use is well maintained and this guide was highly skilled. He was a good teacher/coach too. An excellent guide can read people and make smart, quick decisions based on conversation to build trust quickly with the participants. We had not one iota of doubt in our guide. This was pricey for us, but worth every bit of the cost.

We have climbed both abroad and in the US with several guides. Pisgah's experience was superior at…read moreevery level, with great communication, impeccable scheduling, reminders, their instructors are knowledgeable and friendly, the locations are stunning and plenty challenging for all levels of climbing. Highly recommended!

Hubs and I took a camping trip to the mountains a few weeks ago so we experienced the little town…read moreof Old Fort. Old Fort is known as the "gateway to the mountains" and is about 30 minutes from the Blue Ridge parkway and Asheville. It has beautiful scenery and campgrounds to stay while you are visiting. It is also the home of many hiking and biking trails through the mountains. Before you get into town, do yourself a favor and stock up on your groceries and adult beverages. Not sure if it is a town or county law but there is no alcohol in sight!! We had to drive about 15 miles to stock up on beer and wine. Also, the local grocery store (guess you can call it that) Frisbee's Galaxy, is not helpful for anything. The meats did not look good, they offered little to nothing on our list, and it was dirty and understaffed. That is for another yelp review but you get the jist. Take care of all of your shopping needs before your arrival to Old Fort. Old Fort is definitely your quaint getaway from the hustle bustle of big city life and has an adorable little downtown but appears to have suffered from the bad economy like so many other little towns.

We have a vacation home on Gateway Mountain, just on the outskirts of Old Fort. Old Fort is a…read morequaint little old mountain town with, honestly, not much to offer in the way of vacationing. However, to pass through or to make a quick stop, it's a beautiful old town that still retains its charm from decades ago. It's a dry town, so if you come to eat at one of the very few restaurants, don't expect to have any alcohol. Every Friday night at 7:00pm they have free live bluegrass music at the Old Fort Mountain Music building across from the fire station on Main St. Don't expect anything fancy - all the locals come out to entertain and to be entertained. It's still a fun and interesting experience. There's a wonderful hike up to Catawba Falls, with beautiful up-close views of the waterfall; it's about an hour and a half roundtrip hike. You can also check out Andrew's Geyser, on the other side of town. The shops in town don't have much to offer for anyone other then the locals and there really isn't a downtown with "shopping". If you're looking to shop - even for groceries - I suggest you make a stop into Black Mountain. Old Fort is about 20 minutes from Black Mountain and Marion, 30 minutes from Asheville and Lake Lure/Chimney Rock, and 45 minutes from Hendersonville. All in all, if you're looking for a short stop in an old town that's retained it's quaint, mountain charm, then Old Fort has a few attractions for you. But if you're looking for a vacation spot, this isn't it. Regardless, you'll never meet friendlier or warmer people then the good folks of Old Fort!